They have been held to a touchdown or less in five of those games, including the only shutout in team history, 27-0 at Tampa Bay last Dec. 14.

Even win tarnished

The Texans have generated less than 200 yards of total offense five times. Ironically, the Texans had only 47 yards in their only win — 24-6 at Pittsburgh in 2002 — to set an NFL record for fewest yards in a victory.

The blame is not entirely on the offense. Defensively, the Texans allow 20.8 points and 374 yards in December games.

Just don't tell the Texans there's nothing left for which to play. With the playoffs no longer a possibility, the Texans have set other goals, such as winning their three remaining games to finish 8-8. At worst, one more victory would improve the Texans' win total for a third straight season.

"Any time you finish the season and go 8-8 into the next season you get a little more respect," tight end Billy Miller said. "You feel like you ended the season on some kind of roll. I think it's important to win these last three games."

Traditionally, December is the month teams make their playoff push. The Texans, meanwhile, have had little for which to play except draft positioning in the final month.

"Guys on the field couldn't really care less about draft positioning," Payne said. "Guys are playing for jobs right now, and we want to win. The best way to keep your job is to be on a team that can win. Whenever everybody starts talking about draft position or playing for pride, that stuff is a given. When you step out on that field, you're playing for your teammates and you're playing for your job security. There's plenty of motivation in December."

Hope on horizon

Last season, the Texans entered the final two weeks of the regular season with a chance to play the spoiler role against AFC South rivals Indianapolis and Tennessee. The Texans played two of their best games of the season before losing both in the final minute.

The Texans' final three opponents offer hope. Two — Chicago (5-8) and Cleveland (3-10) — have losing records. And the Texans have beaten Jacksonville (7-6) this season.

The Texans are not ready to think about next season, but coach Dom Capers conveyed a message to his team this week about a strong finish. He made reference to two teams, Pittsburgh and the New York Jets, both 5-8 at this point last season, turning things around this season and winning their division or vying for a playoff spot.

"Right now there are eight 5-8 teams in the league," Capers said. "Over the next three weeks, some of those teams, the arrow will be pointing up and some the arrow will be pointing down. Look at the Steelers and New York Jets at this same time last year. I think it's just a good example of what can happen from one year to the next."

joseph.duarte@chron.com

Texans Summary

Chicago forecast

The Texans expect a frigid reception for Sunday's kickoff against the Bears at Soldier Field. The forecast for Sunday's noon kickoff calls for a temperature of 16 degrees and 30 percent chance of snow.

"I'm from Iowa, so I'm used to this kind of weather," kicker returner J.J. Moses said. "I've been playing in the snow and rain since I was young. I've seen the worst of the worst playing in Iowa."

The coldest weather for a Texans game was at Pittsburgh in 2002, when the kickoff temperature was 35 degrees. The Texans won 24-6.

Working with Spears

Reserve offensive tackle
Marcus Spears
got some practice time with the first-team offense at left tackle Thursday, but coach
Dom Capers
said the team remains committed to
Seth Wand
.

"We're working Marcus in there playing in some situations," Capers said. "There hasn't been a change. Seth Wand is still our left tackle."

Capers wanted to get Spears extra work to "have him ready in case we need him." Spears has started three games this season at right tackle.

Strange territory

Texans defensive end
Robaire Smith
spent the first four years of his career with the
Tennessee Titans
, who won at least 11 games three of the four years Smith was there.

The Titans' 7-9 record in 2001 is the only losing season on Smith's résumé, but he'll add another unless the Texans (5-8) can win their remaining three games and finish .500.

"I've never really been in this position, coming to the end of the season and not getting ready for a playoff game," Smith said. "I definitely thought we had a chance to make a major impact on this league. Playing against these guys when I was with the Titans, I knew they could play."

Promote stability

Fans who fill e-mail boxes with fire-the-coaching-staff rants can move on to their next gripe. Texans coach
Dom Capers
is under contract for two more seasons, and his assistants received two-year extensions in the offseason.

Texans owner Bob McNair is not the panicky type, and the team is progressing at the rate he expected when it began playing in 2002. McNair believes Capers is the right man to build the Texans into a winner, and he trusts his head coach to surround himself with the right people.

"Our approach from an organizational standpoint from the beginning has been to create as much stability as we possibly can as we grow and move forward," Capers said. "It's consistent with everything we've tried to do. When you're in a building phase, as you look around the league, I think stability is important. If you're in the mode where you're changing every other year, it's hard to build toward what everyone wants to build toward.

"I think the greatest example is the Pittsburgh Steelers. They've had two coaches in 35 years. A year ago at this time, they were 5-8 — the exact same record we have — now they're 12-1. They've gone through some of those years, and yet they've stayed the course. There's certainly a reason why they're 12-1."

Get out the vote

Today is the last day fans can vote for the Pro Bowl, which will be Feb. 13 in Honolulu. Receiver
Andre Johnson
is the Texans' best candidate.

Visit www.probowl.com to vote. The winners will be selected based on voting by fans, coaches and players, with each counting for a third of the vote.